Thinnair: Room-Scale VR w/ Haptics [2013]

Date Completed: January 2014

Thinnair is a project in collaboration with the NYU Media Research lab, with Prof. Ken Perlin.

A combination of off-the-shelf technologies, together under $500 in cost, to enable mixed reality with physical feedback. The system uses an Oculus Rift as a VR headset, tracks the user with a Kinect, and places them in a virtual space with building blocks. Building blocks can be manipulated with a "toolbelt": a menu at waist height, enabling the user to move, rotate, scale and apply gravity to their building blocks. Every touch of an object inside the space emits vibrations on the handheld game controller, allowing the user higher precision in interactions.